Join Exeter ecologist in webinar on the importance of ecological interactions in restoration work

A University of Exeter academic will inform ecologists about the importance of ecological interactions to restoration in a webinar tomorrow.

Ecological restoration often centres around the abundance of wildlife in an area. Dr Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury hopes to exetend the focus to the interactions present in the ecosystem, and how these are more important.

Dr Kaiser-Bunbury said: “Thinking about conservation in terms of interactions is a relatively new concept in ecology.”

“To properly understand an ecosystem, we need to appreciate how species function as part of the community and focus restoration efforts on improving their interactions.”

“I will be presenting my group’s research into the effect on restoration on ecosystem functions, monitoring plant-pollinator interactions and pollinator success across communities in the Seychelles.”

“We showed that removing non-native plant species increased the number of pollinator species and native plant productivity.”

The webinar is part of a series organised by the Society for Ecological Restoration and the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, where they will discuss challenges for restoration and conservation. It will run from 3pm on the 12th September 2018 (UK time). Details can be found at https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1135616&group=.

Dr Kaiser-Bunby said: “In delivering my research in a webinar I hope to reach beyond the scope of an academic conference, to the people doing the groundwork – those working to improve ecosystems by helping the native species to flourish”.

Those watching the webinar live will be able to ask questions at the end of each session in half-hour Q&A sessions. It will be accessible online after the event.